Setting Club Priorities for Masters Rowing
How do masters club groups organise their priorities? Covering training, equipment, coaching, racing/trips/camps, finances – this is a must-listen to episode if you’re frustrated by your club leadership.
Timestamps
00:45 Managing your “champagne tastes on a beer budget”.
01:00 The State of Masters Rowing 2023 report. The structure of our sport needs revision – learn to row classes are set to grow and that has implications on clubs.
03:15 What are the priorities for your masters rowing club?
Rowing club strategy for masters includes operational requirements. Boats, equipment, oars, electronics and indoor rowing machines. List what you’d like to have access to and what you have now – a gap analysis.
Equipment review – list all the boats available, its age and the athlete weight it’s designed for. We found 3 types – women only (70kg), mixed crew weights (80kg), mens boats (90kg+). Also consider their state of repair – are they at the end of life? Which suit beginners (flat bottom boats, pontoon floats); which suit more experienced crews?
07:00 Training principles for masters rowing
What are the workout priorities for your club? Do you race, do tours, coastal, fitness workouts and what times of day do people want to train?
09:00 Training for racing – ideas from James Dundon of 612 Endurance Rowing Club. A set of principles which members sign up for. Access to the building shared with other groups. Where can masters be flexible and give priority to other groups in the club.
11:00 Group needs
What would you like to do during a rowing year? Do you train harder before regattas when more people train together – could you get priority at that time?
Each of the training group leaders or coaches can name their priorities (boats, club access times and regatta dates). Where is there overlap in desire between the groups?
14:30 Fund raising
Masters are well-placed to support the whole club with fund raising. This can be part of the group needs discussion. The members were surveyed to ask for their perceived priorities.
18:00 The influence your first coach has on your rowing. Beginners get ideas about rowing from their first coach which they take into their intermediate rowing experience and which hold back advancement. When should you square the blade? The answer is ‘it depends’. This is not satisfactory for intermediate athletes – let us explain why.
https://fastermastersrowing.com/member-register/vip-day-focus-on-boat-skills/
Bonuses include a self-test assessment for benchmarking your rowing skills.
